LET’S GET BACK TO OUR LIVES AS WE KNEW IT

By Jan Bergemann

Published July 23, 2021

 

The executive “emergency” orders are over and done with –Thank You Lord! Let’s get back to our lives as we knew it – with real meetings, doing business as required by the Florida statutes. Our lives were restricted long enough with stupid statements from the CDC that turned later out to be wrong.

 

I have to disagree with statements saying that the VIRUS improved the digital communication in community associations. During the time when COVID ruled our lives,  I got permanently complaints from owners stating that boards were using the Pandemic as a power-grab, circumventing the requirements of the Florida statutes.

 

Let’s make one thing very clear: Even these “emergency” orders didn’t make the statutes moot.

 

Here is a list of the most common complaints I received during the last 16 months:

  •  Not holding annual meetings with elections

  • Announcing board meetings by Zoom without giving owners the access code

  • Not allowing owners to speak at these Zoom meetings or cut them off if their statements were not favorable to the board

  • Refusing access to records – claiming the office is closed due to virus restrictions

  • Levying fines without giving owners the opportunity to speak at a “grievance” committee meeting as required by the statutes

  • Boards making decisions without owners’ input, even in cases where membership votes would have been required

More or less: Dictatorial boards were at its best – totally ignoring the voices of the owners.

 

Even today we have boards refusing to re-open pools, clubhouses and/or gym-rooms and even risk expensive lawsuits in order to force their will on their neighbors.

 

Let’s face: These times are officially behind us – and there are no more valid excuses for boards, their attorneys and/or their CAMs to ignore or circumvent the Florida statutes regulating community associations.

 

FREE AT LAST?


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Jan Bergemann Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice, Florida 's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group. CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in community  

associations. He moved to Florida in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues for his own purposes. End of retirement!

 

CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in Tallahassee - finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.

 

The organization has two websites to inform interested Florida homeowners and condo owners:

News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.

Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.

   
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all service providers surely have a different interest! We are trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking in Florida !


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